The Brits never cease to amaze me...

[BumInABox]

[quote]Crap, here in the good ole US of A. You normally need 3 forms of ID to do anything. Every adult carries a drivers license and a social security card. Then many have work place picture ID's or security badges. Some places even require you produce your birth certificate as a form of ID for some security jobs.

[Chris_F]

It finally gives the police teeth against the uninsured etc which should give anyone who drives within the law cause to celebrate.

I don't know how much confidence it would give me.  I carry my own insurance so I don't care if other motorists have insurance or not: I'm coverd and that's all I care about.  In my country/state (USA, New Hampshire) other motorists are not required to have auto insurance (and somehow everyone manages to survive just fine).

I recall reading about this or a similar system: police cameras can track lisence plates all over the country remotely.  They can use sophisticated algorithms to search for lawless activity in unique ways: if there's a bank robbery they can search the plates of the getaway car and other cars nearby it in traffic.  If the same car pops up in numerous robberies then they can investigate that car as a possible accomplace.  I would assume they could also monitor areas known for drug and prostitution transactions, etc.

Essentially they are scrutinizing law abiding citizens for the merest appearance of impropriaty and investigating them.  God help you if you are unlucky enough to be near a bank robbery more than once or commute through the bad part of town where they sell drugs.  You'll probably end up getting pulled over at some point.  And when they find out everything is in order I'm sure they'll find "something" illegal to justify the stop.  Like a non-working tail light which just happens to be broken in the shape of a police man's billy club...

[Hagar]

Essentially they are scrutinizing law abiding citizens for the merest appearance of impropriaty and investigating them.

Precisely my point.

[Souichiro]

What Ivan was saying is that we have the same system active in Holland and they indeed will send the fine when you haven't have everything arranged..

Hell In holland they take random looks in the car registry and if you haven't payed your road taxes or the M.O.T. isn't in order they'll fine you..

Trust me we have had it happen

[Hagar]

What Ivan was saying is that we have the same system active in Holland and they indeed will send the fine when you haven't have everything arranged..

Ah, my apologies to Ivan. http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=19&story_id=28878&name=The+Dutch+news+in+March+2006
27 March 2006
Police patrols to scan all number plates
National police service (KLPD) outfits its mobile patrols with cameras that can scan number plates of passing cars to check for traffic violations. Until now the police service used static cameras and officers checked number plates manually. The first police car with the new 'catchken' system is scheduled to begin operating in September. A KLPD spokesperson confirms this after the story appeared in newspaper De Telegraaf at the weekend.


Of course, for this to work you need an accurate & regularly updated database & government departments are notoriously inefficient. From recent events the word incompetent might be more appropriate. I'm not at all confident the DVLA sorted this out from 4 years ago.  http://observer.guardian.co.uk/crimedebate/story/0,,742478,00.html
If not, the whole thing is a complete farce. IMHO

[H]

Brett_Henderson wrote:
.. you need these three things:  Driver's license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance.
Chris_F wrote:
That's only true in some states.

True.
In over 40 years of driving, my dad never had vehicle insurance. Prior to my mom's disablement, I had to cajole her into combining our vehicles in one insurance policy (told her the rate was cheaper for me) because she never had any, either.
Of course, a little story to add to Hagar's resolve: My insurance once ran out before I got the renewal payment in. In the process, I got rammed broadside. Although insurance isn't initially mandatory in NH, it becomes so if one is involved in an accident -- no matter who's at fault. I had to pay bond (in lieu of the insurance coverage) as well as have an insurance company provide proof that I'd acquired insurance (forgot if it was within 30 or 60 days). I went to the insurance agent and paid him extra for the additional form I now needed to have them send to the state and eventually took off to visit cousins in CT for the summer. It seems that, since the added form for the state wasn't applied for with the initial renewal, I'd gotten my insurance papers but the state never got theirs. Assuming it was my vehicle at my listed address, state agents showed up to remove the plates from a vehicle belonging another of my cousins. Unaware, I was still driving around in CT with a suspended license. By the time I returned to NH, the state had the required information and my license and registration had been reinstated.

[Brett_Henderson]

Seems, indirectly, you WERE required to have said insurance..

I think it's a racket. If it were up to me, it would be an assumed risk when you take to the road. And it should be up to YOU to protect yourself and your investment.

If you decide to take a $70,000 Mercedes out among the masses, it should be YOUR worry that a simple, dented fender can cost as much as much to fix, as it would cost to BUY the 8 year old Ford that bumped into you.

Same goes for your health. If you choose to drive.. it should be up to you to insure your health.

It's kind of like that in some states here. They call it "No Fault" insurance. When there's an accident.. it doesn't matter who's at fault. Each driver's insurance pays for their repairs/injuries.

If there's criminal negligence involved (i.e. drunk driving).. YOU can choose to take civil action, but it should be outside of traffic court/laws..

Of course.. this would cut deeply into the insurance company profits, so it's not likely to happen (they're a powerful lobby)..

[Mushroom_Farmer]

Well, Brett figured it out. Now if only the 100-odd million other motorists in the USA would also figure it out, maybe we could put an end to this frap.  :-X

[beaky]

Papers, please...

Welcome to the future, where every intersection is Checkpoint Charlie.
I feel so much safer...